The White Sox have had scouts following struggling Yankees prospect Dellin Betances over his last three starts and they are apparently “zeroing in” on trying to pry him away via a trade, according to Josh Norris of the Trentonian.

Betances entered the season as one of the Yankees top pitching prospects, but has really struggled this year posting a 5.59 ERA with a 8.8 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9 over 93.1 innings. That means it will be hard to get the value back for him that they might have during the winter.

It’s generally not smart to sell low on a guy like this, but if the White Sox see something in Betances they may be motivated to deal for him. If they are willing to make a strong pitch to the Yankees then they should pull the trigger.

The problem is that the Yankees and White Sox don’t exactly matchup well. Right now the White Sox are in 1st place and even if they don’t win the division it seems like they can capture one of the two Wild Card spots. Because of that it doesn’t seem likely that they would be willing to send any of their veterans over and it’s not like the Yankees are looking to stockpile prospects. They are going to want somebody that can contribute soon.

I’m not extremely well versed in the White Sox prospects, but the Yankees are probably going to be looking for an outfielder that is close to Major League ready to potentially replace Nick Swisher and there doesn’t appear to be one in the Sox system with most of their better prospects still at the Single-A level or below.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t get a deal done. It is possible that the Yankees and White Sox could find a third team to get involved in a possible deal.

That all seems unlikely. It very well could be that the Yankees and Sox do eventually make a deal but perhaps it happens during the offseason.

About Rob Abruzzese

Rob Abruzzese created Bronx Baseball Daily in 2008 just before graduating from Brooklyn College. He currently serves BBD as its editor and works as a reporter at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Follow Rob on Twitter @RobAbruzzese.

Rob, I understand what you are saying about the teams not matching up. I am confused about the comment "It’s generally not smart to sell low on a guy like this…" I think we all have to search our memories to come up with a time when Betances was at a high that the Yankees might consider selling. He's 24 he'll be 25 before next season starts and he's in Double A. Do we ever think there will come a time to think about selling high with Batances or has that ship left the port?

I see your point. I think my point is that at this point his potential, as unlikely as it is that he could reach it, is still worth more to the Yankees than what they might be able to get out of him through a trade. He's still got a lot of things to like. He's huge, throws very hard, has flashed some solid secondary stuff in the past. Mechanics are his biggest issue and when it comes to guys like that Randy Johnson is always the reason why you don't want to give up on them too early.

Rob, not to change teams that the Yankees might move Betances to but….With the latest news about Gardner is it possible that Betances could be a piece that might be used to get Upton? Assuming he would waive his no trade clause to the Yankees. Keep in mind I said a piece.

It's certainly possible, but I don't really expect him to be traded at all. It really depends on how much Kevin Towers likes Betances because Cashman probably won't want to give him up for nothing. He certainly wouldn't be a throw in piece. If he's a piece, he's got to be the centerpiece or close to it.

Short is hurt and is out all season. The Yankees won't be trading for him anytime soon.

Mitchell is at least intriguing. He's got some issues, he's kind of old for Double-A and strikes out a TON. But he might be a type of guy the Yankees could potentially be willing to swap for Betances. It still seems like a long shot. There are tons of outfielders like that so I don't see what makes him so special.

Basically, I'm standing by what I said. I don't think these two teams match up well.